Optical coherence tomography for evaluation of anatomical changes in the cornea after laser in situ keratomileusis

Purpose: To examine the use of optical coherence tomography (OCT) in evalua ting anatomical changes after laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) and comp lications related to the interface and corneal flap. Setting: Istanbul University Eye Research Center and Department of Ophthalm ology, Cerrahpasa Medical School, Istanbul, Turkey. Methods: Eleven eyes of 11 patients who had myopic LASIK were included in t he study. Mean age of the 7 men and 4 women was 29.4 years +/- 6.9 (SD). Ca ses analyzed included uneventful LASIK (4 eyes), epithelial ingrowth (5 eye s), and flap striae (2 eyes). Corneas were examined by OCT (Humphrey System s). Results: Optical coherence tomography resolved corneal flap and residual st romal layers in all cases. The mean thickness of the corneal flap and resid ual stroma was 138.2 +/- 16.5 mu m and 321.7 +/- 32.1 mu m, respectively. I nterface between the corneal flap and residual stroma was shown by OCT. Opt ical coherence tomography revealed that the eye with flap striae had flap d isplacement undetected by biomicroscopy. Epithelial ingrowth was shown as a highly reflective area. Conclusion: Optical coherence tomography appears to be a promising method f or evaluating anatomical changes in the cornea after LASIK. J Cataract Refr act Surg 2000; 26: 1458-1462 (C) 2000 ASCRS and ESCRS.